SMA Solar Technology AG is forging ahead with its defined IT strategy. One key pillar of that strategy is reducing the company’s internal computing power and migrating to the Microsoft Azure public cloud.
As part of the move to shift the data center to the cloud, Campana & Schott was responsible for analyzing existing workloads, planning the migration, and carrying out and managing the migration project. The move to the new environment was carried out smoothly in just a few months.
In addition to saving on operating costs, including the rent for a data center, SMA has achieved further savings by using advanced cloud-optimized services. SMA, a global specialist in solar panel system technology, is also benefiting from efficient scaling of the server landscape and the use of cutting-edge cloud technologies. The Azure cloud also ensures the utmost in cloud security, with stringent security standards even as the user experience is maintained.
The application migration was tied to a tight timeline, since the SMA buildings housing the data centers were no longer available. Another prerequisite, and another challenge, when it came to implementing the project was that the amount of scheduled capacity required of SMA’s own IT team needed to be minimized in order to ensure that regular and operationally necessary processes could go smoothly.
The migration to the cloud was mapped out using a standardized procedure model. First, the IT strategy was “broken down” into the use of Azure to visualize infrastructure services and cloud services. As the next step, a cloud readiness assessment was performed with the customer to assess all of the self-hosted applications, and the migration was divided into waves based on various criteria, such as the type of application. This yielded a roadmap for the later migration.
The team was also tasked with setting up the fundamental platform and getting it ready for operation. The tools offered by Microsoft for this include the construct of landing zones, which can be used to visualize various requirements optimally.
As part of its migration management services, Campana & Schott provided support for all kinds of technical questions having to do with Azure in particular. It became clear that transparent communication among all parties involved in the project, especially the owners and users of the applications and the migration and firewall team, is the key to success.
The outcome of the project was a smooth and on-time server migration to the new environment. Thanks to the Azure cloud, all SMA employees can now access all services anytime, from anywhere. The company was able to migrate a large number of servers with minimal strain on their own operational team.
